The mother of a Black sixth-grade student in Palmdale has filed suit against the Palmdale School District after her child’s teacher was captured on video in a profanity-laced and racist rant about the student’s family.
Identified by the Los Angeles Daily News as Katura Stokes, the mother filed the suit on behalf of her son who attends Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Magnet Academy.
“The horrible comments the teacher made in the video are truly heartbreaking for a mother to hear and for her young son to hear,” John Taylor, an attorney representing Stokes told the LA Daily News. “It’s unthinkable that an educator would mock and belittle this family, and there is no doubt that this incident has scarred them.
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“All children are entitled to receive an educational experience free of discrimination, and this video has demonstrated what minority students often face behind the scenes today.”
Neil Gehlawat, another attorney representing Stokes said, “This video clearly shows that unequal educational experiences for minority students exist.
“Like many parents whose children have struggled to transition to online schooling during the pandemic, Ms. Stokes reached out for help — and, in return, she discovered that her son was being treated unfairly because of the color of his skin.”
The incident began when Stokes’ son reached out to the teacher Kimberly Newman, for help. Newman worked with the student via Zoom, and he and his mother thought the issue was resolved.
But, Newman forgot to turn off her Zoom session, and for 30 minutes Stokes could not believe what she was hearing.
Stokes recorded the session and then called her son’s principal. When the principal called Newman to confront her about the Zoom call, she allegedly denied the incident. Newman has since resigned from the Desert Willow.